Persuaded by the Potion
by Fac Tuam Rem
Summary: Draco's and Hermione's feelings start to unravel when a messed up potion comes in contact with both of them during a potions class gone haywire DMHG
1. The Potion

_Disclaimer_:_ All characters belong to JK Rowling. I am not the owner of these awesome books nor am I the creator of these awesome characters; I am just obsessed with Harry Potter and this is my expression of admiration for JK Rowling's work. _

A/N: This is my first fanfic so please be nice! R&R if you want more!

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**Persuaded by the Potion**

Chapter 1

Hermione Granger leaned against the dungeon wall, closing her eyes, secretly wishing that she could just shut up her two closest friends. Next to her, Harry and Ron continued with their conversation about Quidditch arguing heatedly whether Chudley Cannons or Puddlemere United was the better team, not noticing the fact that Hermione had stopped to take a rest.

It was their seventh year, their last year at Hogwarts, the year where all would be decided. The year where Harry's final battle would take place. The year where they would decide what to do with the rest of their lives.

Hermione pushed off the wall and headed towards her friends to walk to their first class of the year, Potions with the Slytherins. Trailing behind her friends, Hermione felt her gaze drift over to Draco Malfoy's platinum blond head of hair. Was it just her or had the the blond Slytherin grown even more attractive over summer, if that was even possible. For years she had harbored a secret crush on him, but the fact that they were in separate houses and led separate lives meant that they could never be together. Every time that he had spoke to her, every time that he had called her "mudblood", she reveled in the attention, though it wasn't exactly the kind of attention that she wanted.

Feeling the gaze of someone's eyes, Draco turned around swiftly and Hermione gaping at him. She quickly turned away from him, establishing the fact that she had indeed been the one watching him. Strolling over to where Hermione was walking, he quickened his pace and leaned over to her ear.

"Like what you see, mudblood?" he murmured to her, blowing softly in her ear. Turning bright red, Hermione squeaked and walked closer to Harry and Ron. Feeling that justice had been served, Draco entered the classroom and took his regular seat by Pansy in the back of the dungeon. Sprawled on his seat, Draco seemed at ease. As everyone took their seats, Snape sauntered in, late as usual.

"Today we will be brewing the Malignity Potion. One drop of this on anybody's skin will lead to a life of hatred, betrayal, and despair against the one who spilled it on the person. So I trust you to be careful, wouldn't want any precious friendships to end, would you?" Snape stopped to smirk.

"Follow the instructions on the board precisely for one wrong movement or ingredient can cause the potion's result to change completely. Can anyone tell me what that ingredient is and what the result would become?" drawled Snape, sneeringly ignored Hermione's hand.

"Anybody?" Snape called out, purposely overlooking the only hand raised in the room. "Draco? The answer please."

"By adding chopped mistletoe leaves to the potion rather than the chopped thyme, the potion exposes and magnifies any feelings of the victim to the one who dropped it on him whether it be love, hate, etc.," droned Draco in a bored, robotic tone.

"Good except you forgot to mention that there is no way to reverse the damage that has been caused. You have an hour and a half to brew the potion. You may begin," replied Snape to the tired students, "I said MOVE! You have now have _eighty-nine_ minutes remaining."

Quickly pairing off, the students headed to work.

Standing next to Neville, Hermione could feel the looming pain of a migraine. Hermione leaned back and let Neville take over, the thought that maybe it wasn't her best idea lurking in the back of her mind. Neville gathered the ingredients from the front of the room while Hermione lazily stirred the cauldron's boiling water. Neville returned and as Snape swept by, he whimpered pathetically. Annoyed at her incompetent partner, Hermione grabbed the ingredients and started cutting the shrunken toadstools. She patiently began placing the ingredients into the cauldron, ignoring her partner who had shrunk to a blubbering fool as Snape kept his watch on him as he sat at his desk in the front of the room. Feeling another burst of pain from her migraine, she picked up Neville and told him to continue the potion. Hoping he wouldn't mess up that badly, she headed to the front of the class to speak to Snape.

"Prof. Snape, I've been having some headaches. May I please see Madam Pomfrey?"

"No. Sit down and continue your potion," Snape said, eyeing her with dislike. Snape called out to his class, "I expect you to continue silently with your potions while I retrieve an ingredient from my storeroom." With that, he stalked out of the room, his cape billowing behind him.

Overhearing the encounter Draco called out, "Granger, maybe you should get some more sleep than having 'study breaks' with your boyfriend Harry. O wait… that's right… Harry would rather have Ron."

The room turned silent as everyone stared at Hermione, the Gryffindors willing her to retort. Ron and Harry looked livid but stopped in their anger when they saw Hermione crossing the dungeon instead of returning back to her seat. She walking straight up to Draco. Giving him her death glare, she slapped him across the face. "Why don't you just go home to your little bitch Pansy.. at least she'd screw you."

Pansy looked quite indignant at this statement. She grabbed onto Draco's firm stomach, wrapping her arms around his chest. Rubbing her face into the back of his robes, she cooed to Draco, "Well, at least my Drakie-poo loves me." Ignoring Pansy's futile attempt, he angrily pushed her arms off of him.

Draco's icy blue eyes flashed with anger, and he retorted, "At least I get some ass, _mudblood_." As he finished the statement, Snape opened the door and walked back to the front of the room. Everyone sheepishly turned back to their cauldrons and wondered what had happened to Hermione over summer.

As the time neared to the end, Snape ordered the class to retrieve a sample from their cauldron and leave it on the top of the table in the front. Hermione sleepily headed to the front of the class, not noticing the evil glint in Draco Malfoy's cold, harsh eyes. As she passed by his cauldron, he bent down to "pick up his quill". He grabbed her ankle, and pulled her down, _hard_. Collapsing on the floor of the dungeon facefirst, Draco leaned over to whisper in her ear, "Mudblood, that's what happens when you mess with a Malfoy." Wiping the potion that had drenched his hand off, he sprayed Hermione with even more of the potion. He let out a huff, "Let's hope you didn't let your partner Neville screw this potion up too, or I might be declaring my hate for you with an all out war."

Hermione's face changed to worry as she realized that indeed she had let Neville complete most of the potion. She headed back to the cauldron, all of her mild discomfort at Draco masked by the worry of a damaged potion. Hoping to gather another sample for herself and for the class, Hermione looked at the empty cauldron with distress. Snape had already cleared away the area. "Crap crap crap crap crap," she muttered under her breath. She gathered her books and headed out of the classroom to meet Harry and Ron…

Oh how she hoped that the potion wasn't messed up.. she just couldn't imagine what would happen if she started declaring her love for Malfoy at the top of the Astronomy Tower.

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A/N – First chappie completed. I think this fanfic's gonna end up short – only 10 or so chappies… I'll try to update as soon as I can. Crappy cliffie but w/e … R&R if you want more chapters 


	2. Dreaming and Encounters

_Disclaimer: All characters belong to JK Rowling. I am not the owner of these awesome books nor am I the creator of these awesome characters; I am just obsessed with Harry Potter and this is my expression of admiration for JK Rowling's work. _

A/N: This is my first fanfic so please be nice! R&R if you want more!

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Chapter 2

Draco was lying in his bed, dreaming of a certain someone –

_Hermione was sitting next to Draco in his bed, her head in his lap. As he stroked the curly hair of his beloved, they sat talking. He could never make out what they were each saying but he knew that he was enjoying himself immensely.. Well of course he was, he was with the girl that he desired the most. Only she could provide the chase that he wanted. Hidden away in her golden trio, she was untouchable, innocent, sweet … Draco's mind wandered in the dream as his father burst threw the doors. Lucius's enraged face told Draco that something drastic was about to occur._

He shifted in his sleep, eyebrows furrowing. Since he was little, this dream had plagued him. However every time he woke up he would forget the girl's beautiful face, he could only feel her curly hair underneath his fingertips and her warm chocolate eyes that seemed to draw him to her. He was never able to see the end, always waking up after Lucius had burst into the room, but since the beginning of school the ending of his dream had uncovered itself.

_Lucius grabbed Hermione off of Draco and threw her against the wall, knocking her out. Angered at his son's insolence, he grabbed Draco and threw on the floor. He thundered, "What the hell is that MUDBLOOD doing here!" He kicked his son in the stomach and pummeled him with punches to the face. Draco winced from the attacks but he didn't allow the screams to escape from his mouth. He could never show his father emotion. . . it would lead to even more pain, usually an Unforgivable curse. Draco stood up, wiping the blood from his broken lip that had resulted from being thrown to the ground so roughly. He straightened his clothes and looked his father right in eye._

**_"I love her."_**

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Hermione drew the blankets closer to her, shivering in the cold bleak night. Drawing her drapes, she cast "Lumos" to illuminate her bed without waking up her roommates. She pushed herself up until she was sitting up in her four poster bed. She sleepily wiped her eyes but knew that she would be unable to go back to sleep. Pulling a book from her drawer into her lap, she started to sketch her latest dream that had woke her up from her deep sleep –

_Hermione was curled up next to Draco, both lying on the grass, looking up at the night sky. Her small petite body seemed to fit perfectly next to the tall and wiry, yet muscular, body next to hers. Her hand curled onto his chest, while his tucked underneath her, resting on the small of her back. Sighing, Hermione rested her head on his chest, cuddling closer to Draco. He raised his arm to point out a beautiful constellation and said to her, _

_"It's almost as beautiful as you." She chuckled and playfully hit him on his arm. He growled and pushed her over, straddling her. _

_"I know lots of things we could do in _this _position..." he mumbled against her neck, kissing her softly. She pulled his face up to hers and looked him straight into the eye. She guided his lucious lips to hers and claimed them as her own._

Tears streamed down her flawless face when she woke up, realizing that once again it had only been a dream.

They just fit perfectly together and she knew it. His fiery temper and icy silver orbs fit flawlessly with her patient attitude and warm chocolate eyes. Her sketch showed her hands wrapping around his tall frame. Their bodies close and connected, her head resting peacefully on his chest while he hugged her close. She couldn't take it anymore. She needed to be in his arms once and for all.

* * *

Draco woke up, sweating from his intense dream. Who was the girl? Her face was once again erased from his memory. Infuriated, he sat up in his bed and wiped the sweat from the brow. It was early morning, and he knew that he would not be able to go to sleep once again. He grabbed his jacket and pulled on his shoes. He looked around his dorm room. Blaise's arm was hanging out of his four poster bed, as usual, as though he had thrown himself and sprawled on the down comforter on his bed. Crabbe and Goyle's incessant snoring rang out through the room, clearing Draco's doubts about his roommates finding out he was once again out.

Carefully stepping down the stairs, Draco looked over the ledge cautiously, checking if Pansy was waiting once again in the common room. For the past few days she had ambushed him, forcing a sloppy kiss before he ran back to bed. Reaching the bottom of the steps, he tripped suddenly, falling flat on face, just as Hermione had down the day before.

"Sneaking out of bed should cost you thirty points from your house," an eerie voice called out to him from above. Draco pushed himself up, wiping his robes to get rid of the dirt.

"Well that never stopped me before, did it Bloody Baron?" he responded, smirking at the ghost.

"You know, most kids are intimidated by me." The Bloody Baron floated over, his soaked red robes swishing behind him.

"That's because they don't know that your 'blood' is only red paint, O Three Times Great Grand-Uncle Baron Richard of Bulgaria, son of the renown Felix, Master Artist of the Court of Charles the Hammer," said Draco, flashing a small smile at his relative, annoying the Baron with his true title and fame.

He had found out the truth his second year at Hogwarts. The Bloody Baron had followed him around for three days straight, waiting outside of his classes and sitting next to him during meals. After those three days, Draco, sick of being avoided by his friends, angrily asked what the hell he was doing. The Baron told him that he was his youngest relative, and that he deserved the honor of knowing the truth. Since then, Draco had always returned to his uncle when he needed fatherly advice.

The baron ignored his statement, "I know something's bothering you Draco… you best tell me now before I hear from your little _friends_."

"Nothing, nothing," Draco muttered to himself, trying his best to believe his words, while hastily slipping out of the Common Room to aviod more questions.

Wandering down the dreary dungeons, Draco broke into a run and headed towards the Great Lake. He needed a brisk morning run to clear his mind and refresh his senses.

* * *

Hermione furiously wiped away her tears. She had spent too many nights yearning for his love. It was time wasted, and she had decided that a good morning walk would do her well. She packed a small bag, stuffing her sketchbook, pen, and wand inside and changed her clothes to a hoodie and short track shorts. She crept down the stairs and seeing that no one was in the Common Room, and slipped outside. She briskly walked down the halls, ducking into shadows when someone near was patrolling and ran out of the Great Hall and out of Hogwarts.

As she wandered on the cold grounds, Hermione broke into a run and headed toward the Great Lake, not noticing the blond haired Slytherin approaching the area too.

* * *

Draco slowed to an easy running pace and stopped by the lake's edge. Leaning down, he saw his reflection. He looked like his father – his volative Death Eater father. The face that had killed dozens and shattered families. He picked up a rock and threw it angrily at his reflection. He would show them. He would be better than his _father_. He would redeem the Malfoy name back to one of glory and fame.

Hearing a small gasp behind him, Draco turned around, wondering who had the courage to intrude on him in his private moment.

Hermione was sitting behind him on a rock, sketching the lone figure swiftly with her pencil. She was so immersed in her drawing that when she heard the rock shatter she immediately looked up and saw him. Scared and yet excited about being so close to him, she forgot herself and stood there for a moment, gazing back into his eyes. His eyes seemed to drop the harsh glare and looked straight back at her, neither of them moving or saying anything. She clumsily stood up and dropped her books that had been sitting in her lap. Grabbing her bag, she sprinted away from the Great Lake, forgetting her sketchbook.

Draco smirked as he saw her immature reaction. "It's not as if I was watching her, though her legs _did_ look quite delectable in those shorts… ewww I'm thinking about _Granger_ … but what _had _she been doing there…but those _eyes_," Draco trailed off in his mindless banter, noticing the abandoned sketchbook in the grass. He walked over and picked up the sketchbook that had fallen into the moist grasses. Though a bit smudged and covered with dense soil, it intrigued him. He slipped it inside the pocket of his robe, and continued on his brisk walk, immersed in his thoughts.

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A/N: Another chapter finished! I laid out the plot line but if you wanna submit any ideas they are welcome! New chapter in about 3 or so days… 

Oo and of course… review the story .. Please and Thank You!


	3. Sentencing and Propositions

_Disclaimer: All characters belong to JK Rowling. I am not the owner of these awesome books nor am I the creator of these awesome characters; I am just obsessed with Harry Potter and this is my expression of admiration for JK Rowling's work. _

A/N: This is my first fanfic so please be nice! R&R if you want more!

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Chapter 3

-

Snape buried his head in his hands. "This wasn't supposed to happen," he thought to himself. Settling his head onto his desk, he ignored the looks he was receiving from his seventh year potions class.

Harry leaned over to Hermione and whispered into her ear, "What's up with Snape? He obviously knows that we're all talking, not paying attention, and looking at him – so why isn't he saying anything? … and where the hell is Neville?"

Hermione nudged Harry back and was about to answer him when Snape finally noticed. "Granger, Draco – stop talking. You will see me immediately after class." Hermione threw Harry an annoyed look and refused to acknowledge him for the rest of the period despite all his efforts. Glancing at Draco who was at the next table over, she caught his eye, questions but not hostility reflected back at each other.

"I SAID TO STOP TALKING TO EACHOTHER! GRANGER! MALFOY! DETENTION AFTER CLASSES!" Snape thundered at them, rising unsteadily from behind his desk. He sat back down weakly, eyeing his students and daring them to respond.

"But sir, we haven't talked to each other the whole period. You must be hearing Ron and Lavender! I was just looking at her because there's a bug in her hair!" Draco retorted, earning a nasty look from Harry and Ron while Hermione's hands hastily rose to her bushy mane, checking for any sign of insects.

"Draco, do you always feel the need to talk back to your professors? Five points from Slytherin," Snape wearily said, casting Draco his death glare. His students looked back at him warily, wondering how Snape was in such a mood that would cause him to take away points from his own house, from his favorite student! Draco sullenly looked down, avoiding the glares from his housemates, and tended to his potion.

"Class dismissed. You imbeciles can't brew anything to save your life. NOW GET OUT!" Snape shouted at his class, his anger teeming over, causing a grave outburst. His students hastily buried their books into their bags, hoping to escape the class without losing any more points.

Harry and Ron shot apologetic looks at Hermione, who quietly approached the front of the greasy-haired professor's desk. Snape eyed her with contempt but seemed to look sad, before he noticed Draco trying to sneak out of the dungeon. Standing up, he whispered a spell, causing Draco to float back to the desk.

Snape sighed and asked his students to sit down. Hermione and Draco each took a stool, quietly scooting their chairs away from one another. Once they had set the stools two feet away from each other, Snape angrily told them to sit down and shut up.

Draco looked at his professor carefully. Snape's hair was greasy.. well greasier than usual. His eyes seemed downcast and bags appeared underneath his eyes. Catching Snape's gaze upon him, he quickly turned away, looking at his hands in great interest.

Snape began, "Malfoy, Granger, you may have been wondering where Neville is –"

Draco butted in, "What the hell does that fool have to do with us? I swear I haven't cast a spell on him since last year and I doubt that Granger here was caught snogging him in the middle of the hallways."

Hermione threw Draco a dirty look and turned back to Snape.

"Well, Draco," Snape responded, his voice dripping with anger, "I might as well continue, as I was about to explain that…"

"That potion that you brewed yesterday, Granger, appeared to be in shabby condition. Not exactly what I expected from you, one of the top students of my class, but from Neville, the bumbling fool," Snape said without emotion, as if he was merely stating a fact rather than mocking her.

"Your 'headache' must have needed further attention for the potion was indeed 'screwed up'. After class, I administered the potion to Neville to test it. As you both know, if there _is_ a mistake, the true feelings of the victim for the administer will be intensely magnified."

Hermione started to squirm in her seat. According to Prof. Snape, her feelings for Draco could start to unravel any day now.

"Neville didn't appear to experience any of the potion's effects until this morning, when he caught sight of me in a hallway, and ran the other direction, only to crash into a suit of armor. He appeared to be unconscious so I levitated him to the Madame Pomfrey. When he woke up, he screamed and passed out when he realized I was sitting across from his bed… so I guess it's safe to assume that the potion is indeed _kaput._"

Hermione shifted in her chair and looked over at Draco. His face had appeared to lose all color in the last five minutes.

"I recommend that you both go up to Dumbledore to explain the situation before you are moved into the Head Room."

"The H-H-Head Room, sir?" Draco choked out.

"The room shared by the Head Boy and the Head Girl," Snape raised his eyebrows at Draco, "Certainly you knew that the room was part of the deal. You are both dismissed. Please report to Dumbledore now. The password is 'Chocolate Ants.' I expect you both to be here at seven."

"B-B-B-B-But sir that's time for dinner!" Draco blurted.

Snape sneered at Draco and walked out of the classroom, leaving Hermione and Draco alone.

Hermione whipped around, grabbing her books and dashing out of the room. Draco unclasped his robe and threw it over his shoulder. Levitating his books, Draco calmly followed after her, quickening his pace to walk next to her in the halls. She ignored the fact that _he _was standing right next to her and buried herself in her own thoughts. Draco, amused by her antics, stuck his foot out quickly, causing her to trip over and her books to collapse on the ground. Hermione furiously picked up her books and turned back to Draco, "What the bloody hell was that for? And why are you following me?" Her eyes blazed and forced him to cough out a response.

Draco looked at her in the eye. "She's quite hot when she's angry… make a point to do that more often," a voice nagged him in his head.

"Well _Hermione_," Draco drawled, "it appears that we _are _going to the same place, and we _are _going for the same reason, aren't we?" He smirked and walked around her, leaving her to follow him instead of the other way around. Hermione silently followed him, noting that he should take off his robe more often – his butt looked quite delectable. She had to resist the urge of pinching his ass the whole walk to the office.

They reached Dumbledore's office in silence, each left to their own thoughts, Draco thinking about _her_ blazing eyes and Hermione thinking about _his_ spicy ass. "Chocolate Ants," Hermione called out, causing the gargoyle above the double doors to grant them access inside. They walked in, and approached Dumbledore who seemed to be waiting for them behind his desk.

"Please sit down," Dumbledore motioned to the pale blue loveseat in front of his desk, eyes tinkling merrily. Draco's face seemed to let down its mask, just for a moment, reflecting some hope in his eyes when he saw the two-seater couch. Hermione sighed and sat at the farthest end while Draco quickly covered up his reaction and sat far away from her. Smiling widely at their reactions, Dumbledore started to inform them of their new responsibilities.

"Professor McGonagall and I are quite sorry that we were not able to speak to you on the train. She was away gathering some supplies from Scotland. As you are the Heads, you will be sharing a private room, sharing your duties, and from now on, sharing your classes. In order to stabilize more House Companionship, you are to be seated together in all the classes you share."

Hermione and Draco looked at each other. Hermione felt a smile playing at her lips while his just smirked at her. Thoughts about the potion escaped from their heads as Dumbledore continued talking. Noticing that they weren't listening to him, but rather staring at each other intently, Dumbledore coughed loudly to get their attention. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed them from his office.

They numbly walked out, each thinking about what was going to happen when they shared the room.

Draco turned around, patiently waiting for Hermione to make it down the stairs. He smiled at her – actually smiled - and offered her his hand. Hermione looked at the outstretched hand warily, trying to figure out his prospects. She pushed back the caution that she had and boldly placed her hand in his.

"I suppose that since we will be spending so much time together we will need to put our differences aside. I propose a truce so that we can work without distractions."

"So you propose, I shall accept under one term of agreement."

"And that is?"

"We will refer to each other as Draco and Hermione. No last names. No insults."

"Yes ma'am," he saluted clumsily. She laughed, forgetting for a second that he was a Malfoy, a pureblooded bigot, and she was Granger, a loyal Gryffindor. They gazed at each other, sobering themselves and headed to the Great Hall for lunch.

* * *

- 

Dumbledore sat at his desk, drumming his fingers in a pleased manner. McGonagall sat in front of him, charming the loveseat back to its original state as two chairs.

"Now Dumbledore, you aren't trying your hand at matchmaking again, are you? Don't you remember how Zacharias Smith and Eliose Midgen turned out. I don't think Zacharias appreciated that face of acne rubbed on his face while they were kissing," McGonagall leered at Dumbledore.

"But they weren't _meant _for each other. I'm sure about this pair – They're just perfect for each other," Dumbledore responded, his eyes tinkling madly.

"I sure hope you're right about that."


	4. Matchmaking with Snape and Dumbledore

_Disclaimer: All characters belong to JK Rowling. I am not the owner of these awesome books nor am I the creator of these awesome characters; I am just obsessed with Harry Potter and this is my expression of admiration for JK Rowling's work. _

A/N: This is my first fanfic so please be nice! R&R if you want more!

Thank you to my reviewers (Secretly-In-Love, As-Blood-As-It-Comes, mystic-tear-drops, and shortperson)! You have no idea how happy they made me! (Think happier than the High School Musical Soundtrack.)

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Chapter 4

-

Snape was sitting at the lunch table, pushing his food around his plate with his fork. Several days of sleep always leave you just a bit drowsy. Sitting next to Dumbledore, Snape loathed his presence and his ever present gaity. His twinkling eyes. His rambunctious laughter. He sighed like a sullen teenager and gazed at his plate.

Finally noticing that his friend was acting more like a 4th year student during Professor Binn's History of Magic class rather than the Head of the Slytherin House, Dumbledore gently began to prod Snape in his side with the tip of his wand. Snape mumbled incoherently, so Dumbledore clapped his hands loudly as if congratulating the person beside him. Snape suddenly jumped up in response to the loud sound, unaware of his surroundings. All the students were looking up at him, wondering what had caused the sudden clapping. Breaking out into an awkward applause, the students looked extremely confused while Dumbledore seemed to find the whole situation hilarious. After a few seconds of the awkward clapping, Snape seemed to resemble a beet; his face was burning up with rage and embarrassment. He turned around and stormed out of Great Hall, leaving Dumbledore chuckling in his seat.

After laughing hysterically in the hall, Dumbledore finally headed after the enraged professor, hoping to apologize and talk to him in his office. Moving quickly through the halls, he cut through a shortcut, knowing that Snape would be heading to his office in the dungeons. Stepping from out of the secret shortcut, he was hidden behind a suit of armor. Coming out, he rounded the bend, counting down to Professor Snape's arrival. "3…2…1…" he whispered underneath his breath, noticing the shadow that was Snape.

Snape rounded the bend, colliding into Dumbledore headfirst. Knocked over, Snape paused for a moment before opening his eyes to look at the jovial face that was helping him up.

"I think it's time we had a chat," Dumbledore said, leading the way back up to his office. Snape grudgingly followed, thinking about what their previous "chat" had been about –

-

"_Now Snape," Dumbledore said very seriously while holding up a Lemon Drop, "it appears that the Luscious Lemon Drop Company wants to expand their business to include raspberry and blueberry drops. I myself think that they should stick to the Lemon Drops, for that _is _the name of their company." Popping the Lemon Drop into his mouth, Dumbledore looked expectantly at the professor across from him, waiting for his opinion on the subject. _

_Professor Snape looked at him, outraged to be there for a huge waste of time. Instead of a response, Snape pushed himself out of the chair and walked out of the office. Stumbling right before he reached the door, he could hear Dumbledore stifling his laughter behind him. He whisked around and thundered, "I may have stumbled, but that does not take away from the brevity of my exit." He whipped back around and shut the door loudly behind him, his cloaks billowing behind him. As the door closed, Snape could hear Dumbledore burst out laughing, pounding his fists on the desk hysterically._

"_Crazy old coot."_

-

Sitting in Dumbledore's office, sipping some tea, Professor Snape looked warily at the milling headmaster over the rim of his teacup. Deciding that perhaps Dumbledore wasn't about to start up another ridiculous conversation, Snape set down his teacup and saucer onto the coffee table in front of him. He straightened up in the cushioned chair and stared at the headmaster, who seemed to be settling on the couch across from him.

"We're still expecting another visitor, so I believe he shall be appearing any moment now."

Just as Dumbledore completed his sentence, the Bloody Baron floated through the portrait of Phineaus Nigellus Black who looked quite put out. Settling down onto another chair positioned next to Professor Snape, he asked, "And what exactly are we doing here, Headmaster?""

"What? No hello?" replied Dumbledore. To this statement, he received a stony glare from both the ghost and the professor.

"And why exactly are we here?"

"To discuss the romantic future of one of our students, of course," Dumbledore responded, as if speaking about their student's love lives was an everyday occurrence.

"And would we be speaking of Draco Malfoy, my youngest relative, Headmaster?" an eerie yet rich baritone boomed out of the ghostly body.

At the sound of his name, Professor Snape instantly perked up, finally devoting his full attention to the conversation.

"Yes, Bloody Baron, he is the one. As you may have noticed, he seems to be taking an interest in a certain seventh year."

Snape glanced around. Dumbledore seemed quite sure of the fact while the Bloody Baron quietly nodded, goading him to continue. "And no one told this to me because?"

"Well, he's telling you now, so be quiet."

"BE QUIET? THIS MAN HUMILIATED ME IN FRONT OF THE WHOLE SCHOOL!"

"Really, Professor. How _do_ you teach that class of yours with that temper?"

"ARGH!"

"Now, we are here to speak about _Draco,_ not you. SO LISTEN TO THE MAN!"

Dumbledore watched the situation with interest, while spinning his wand absently with his hand. Concluding that they were finished yelling at each other (Bloody Baron had a huge smirk that wouldn't wipe off his face while Snape had his arms crossed over his chest, looking angry but not jumping up for another outburst), he told them that he had noticed their unusually close relationship with Draco and asked them of it.

"Well, Draco is my youngest living relative. Surely you know that Headmaster?" the Bloody Baron answered.

"Of course, but I'm not quite so sure about Professor Snape's relationship to Draco Malfoy," he responded, pausing so that he could receive an answer.

Professor Snape looked quietly at both of them, wondering if they had earned his trust. Dumbledore, sure but he wasn't so sure about the Bloody Baron. Concluding that since they were both devoted to the student, he retreated back to his memories, unsure of how to word the statement –

-

"_But Narcissa, surely you know that I love you. Leave Lucius and come back to me," Snape whispered in Narcissa's ear, willing her to return to him. _

_She sighed, and wiped away her tears. "I can't."_

"_And why not?" he quietly demanded of his high school sweetheart._

"_I-I'm pregnant." _

_She left him speechless. He had given up everything for her love: he had sacrificed his soul to the Dark Lord, he had abandoned his hopes of becoming an Auror. And for what? This piece of crap that would just leave him hanging. _

"_I could have given you love," he glared at the blond woman weeping in front of him. _

"_I could have given you strength. But you chose Lucius before me. I blindly followed you, hoping that maybe you would return to me. But you got pregnant. I gave up everything for _you._"_

"_It's not like that. I love you. I can't leave; it's not my choice. I have to stay, for _him_." She patted her belly fondly, knowing that all she could give to her baby would be love. _

_Staring into her absent blue eyes, he knew something was off. There was no glint of humor, nor a spark of love. "I'm sorry, Narcissa. It's not your choice, is it? The marriage was never your choice – you were betrothed. Did he force you to have that baby?"_

_A silent tear escaped from her eyes. He had finally figured out the truth, and without the help of her. "I'm sorry. I could have never mentioned _it_. I'm under an Unbreakable Vow. I can never leave him. _Ever_." She sighed unhappily, wishing she could take it all away. _

"_I know… Has that son of a bitch been hitting you?" He loudly asked, grabbing her arm and tugging it towards him. It was covered in black and blue bruises as if a man had handled and grabbed her too roughly. She looked up at him with teary eyes and answered, "I think you know the answer to that."_

_He turned around, ready to burst out of the room and murder Lucius. She called him back, knowing that he would not be able to defeat the dark wizard. "Please promise me. Whatever happens to me you'll take care of my son."_

_He cupped her face and pulled it up to him. Looking into her icy silver eyes, he spoke to her. "Always, my love. Always." With that, she collapsed of exhaustion. _

_- _

"I promised to look after her son always," he blandly stated, not wishing to give any more details then necessary. Since that fateful day, he had been changed forever. He retreated to his potions, hoping to find something that could help his love, anything. From then on, he stayed in his dungeon, unwilling to make contact with anyone – that is, until he saw those icy silver eyes in her son. Her son who looked exactly like Lucius with his platinum blond hair and black robes. But those eyes, those eyes were hers.

Nodding silently, Dumbledore began to speak again. "To ensure a happy future for her son, Narcissa has commissioned us to find love for her son, so that she'll die knowing that he will always be loved."

"But, my great great grand niece is still quite young. Isn't she only in her late 30s?"

"Yes, but you never know what danger will befall her while Lucius is by her side." Snape inwardly flinched at the statement and reverted the topic back to Draco,

"So what exactly are we supposed to do? Go through a list of seventh year girls to find one suitable for him?" he scoffed at the statement, expecting his two companions to notice how ridiculous it sounded.

Dumbledore whipped out a list and gave a sheepish smile, "Er.. Well actually I thought we might as well throw in the sixth years too."

Snape narrowed his eyes and said, "Let's just get this over with."

Spreading the long list on the table between them, they set to work. Little outbursts were heard over the next two hours.

"I will not have Draco 'finding love' in a bloody HUFFLEPUFF!"

"This Ravenclaw looks good."

"Who?"

"Lisa Turpin."

"That potion's class disaster? Absolutely not!"

"Okay then… Susan Bones?"

"I told you already. NO BLOODY HUFFLEPUFFS!"

"Hm.. Rose Zeller?"

"Isn't she in 4th year?"

"Valmai Morgan?"

"Isn't that a _boy_ from Ravenclaw?"

After two hours of ridiculous bantering, they had come to a list of five students.

"Ginny Weasley, Pansy Parkinson, Hermione Granger, Daphne Greengrass, and Padma Patil," the Bloody Baron huffed out.

"Two Gryffindors, two Slytherins and one Ravenclaw? Meh. Make that one Gyffindor and one Slytherin, decided Snape.

"And why is that?" questioned the Bloody Baron.

"Weasley.. is just.. well… a _Weasley._ I doubt that Pansy has chosen to fight for the light side. And _that _Ravenclaw? Puh-leaze."

"Well then. Daphne Greengrass or Hermione Granger?"

"Hermione Granger – she matches him in intelligence, loyalty, courage, secrecy, and bravery. Plus wouldn't they look just perfect together?"

Snape winced at the Bloody Baron's gushing but conceded that he was right. "Daphne Greengrass is smart but no where near as smart as Draco. During assemblies she sits with _Pansy._ I think we know who we're choosing."

"Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy. Who would have thought?" Dumbledore mused aloud.

"And how exactly are we going to get them together. If you haven't noticed, they don't exactly like each other," Snape told them.

"Eh. Minor problem. We'll get them together. Don't worry about that," Dumbledore's eyes sparkled dangerously.

"I believe my part here is done. Good day to you." With that, Snape walked out of the room, this time not stumbling over his feet.

* * *

A/N: Oy, that took quite a while to find those students names. Thank you Wikipedia!

The next chapter is about the detention with Snape and Draco and Hermione moving into their new Head Room. So stay tuned!

Oh and of course, like any other author, Please Review!


	5. Detention and Goodbyes

_Disclaimer: All characters belong to JK Rowling. I am not the owner of these awesome books nor am I the creator of these awesome characters; I am just obsessed with Harry Potter and this is my expression of admiration for JK Rowling's work. _

A/N: This is my first fanfic so please be nice! R&R if you want more!

Thank you to my reviewers! (and I'm making this chapter longer for As-Blood-As-It-Comes) Sorry for the late update but my brother found it and well... yea. Here it is!

* * *

Chapter 5

Hermione wandered down the empty hallway, avoiding the person who seemed to be following her. His eyes had been on her during lunch and during the rest of their classes. Heading to Snape's classroom for detention, she was finally able to feel a bit safe. A pair of eyes had been boring into her back all day, and at detention she would be by herself with no one else around. Sprinting the rest of the dungeon corridor, she burst into the potions classroom. Seeing no one else, she checked the time – fifteen minutes early. Settling down into a chair, she rested her head on her arms, and soon dozed off.

------

Draco calmly walked down the dungeon corridor. Already the second week as Head Boy and he had gotten a detention! He was  
pissed at Snape – the professor was supposed to be on his side! _And_ he had taken five points away from the Slytherin house. Hmph, well being the Head Boy had its perks. "Five points to Slytherin for the Head Boy being really really ridiculously good looking," he voiced aloud to no one in particular. _(A/N: zoolander moment lol)_He finally reached the door, two minutes before his detention. Opening it slightly he was shocked to find a dozing Gryffindor at one of the desks.

He walked towards the desk and slipped into the seat beside her. He prodded her with his wand and in his best Snape impression drawled, "Ms. Granger, I will _not _tolerate sleeping in my classroom." He smirked as she sprang up straight, looking around bewildered.

------

Snape stood silently in the shadows of the dim classroom, watching the amusing soon-to-be couple. Seeing Draco trying to calm down Hermione, he decided that it was time to announce his presence. Walking up behind Draco, he drawled, "Mr. Malfoy, I will _not _tolerate idiocy in my classroom." Seeing both of the students whip around suddenly, he held his laughter and addressed the both of them.

"Since you don't know how to get along well enough to cooperate and since I am sick of Dumbledore's speeches about 'Inter-House Relationships', you will be serving detention together." He ignored the hopeful looks that had quickly passed over his students' faces. "You will have to work together to move your new furniture into the newly renovated Head Room."

Draco looked quite happy that he didn't have to polish the suits of armor once again. Those suits just didn't know how to stay still and he had enough bumps on his head from the prior detentions. Absently rubbing his forehead he voiced his opinion, "And how exactly is that a detention? I mean you never mentioned that we couldn't use magic and the original Head Room is only a flight above the Great Hall."

"Ah, but you see, the greatest fact here is that your new room is precisely two buildings, three flights, two corridors left, and then right four more doors, away from the Great Hall. And you may use your magic but you may not contact anyone else for help. Your furniture is by the doors of the Great Hall and the password to your new dorm room is 'Houses of Hogwarts Unite!' .. and might I suggest a new password while you're there. You may now head to your new Head Room." Noticing their lack of mobility, he ordered them out and set to another night of marking the fourth years papers on the ingredients of the Wit-Sharpening Potion.

------

Draco and Hermione arrived at the entrance of the Great Hall. Two large parcels emblazoned with HEAD ROOM were placed at the bottom of the doors.

"How are we supposed to move those gigantic things?"

"Well with our bodies of course!"

Blush.

"O God, I didn't mean it that way. I meant like lift it up with our arms or something… Didn't know the Head Girl had such a dirty mind.."

"Ugh, enough _Draco_. I think that each of us could levitate one of the packages and then lead it to the Head Room."

"Mmkay.. I don't have any other ideas so let's get started." Pointing his wand at the largest of the packages he cast the spell, "Wingardium Leviosa."

The large object floated two feet off the ground and then collapsed again.

"Um, Hermione.. I think we need to both cast it. Only one charm isn't strong enough to lift them."

"Who would have thought.. Draco Malfoy asking a _Gryffindor _for help."

"Shuddup and cast the damn spell."

"Wingardium Leviosa."

The box flew up three feet off the ground and hovered.

"Now add your charm Draco."

"Whatever you say baby."

"Draco! Not _your_ charm.. the levitating charm!"

"Sure thing babe. Wingardium Leviosa."

The box lifted up and floated ahead of them. Draco bowed and motioned with his hand, "Ladies first, madam."

"Quite a gentleman, I see." Walking ahead, they passed the second building. Laughing nervously, she wanted to break the awkward chatter. "Draco?"

"Mhmm?"

"I have another proposition."

"Yes?"

Hermione shook her head and blurted it out, "Why can't we be friends?"

"Because you are a Gryff and I'm a Sly. I'm a pureblood and you are muggleborn," he stated as if it was everyday talk.

"Well.. that's true.. but can't we get over that? Can't we just start anew?"

Draco stopped and grabbed Hermione's shoulder. Turning her around, he offered her his hand to shake. "Malfoy. Draco Malfoy." She shook her head and laughed. "Her smile is so pretty," he thought to himself.

"Hermione Granger. I'm quite pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. Malfoy."

After a few minutes of idle chatter about school and such, they had arrived in the hallway of their dorm.

"And I, you. I believed that we have arrived at our destination Ms. Granger."

"Why yes, Mr. Malfoy. It appears that we have. Shall you approach the sleeping portrait or shall I?"

"May I do the honors?" She nodded her consent and he approached the snoring portrait.

Draco glanced at the garbed girl who seemed to be set in a palace of some sort. Tapping the portrait lightly with his wand, he woke up the girl. The portrait sprang to life and seemed to blush while Draco looked at her intently. "May I help you, handsome sir?" she asked, eyeing Draco with a lustful eye. Her blond bouncy curls cascaded down her 14th century dress.

"Houses of Hogwarts unite." The portrait giggled at Draco and finally seemed to notice Hermione. Glaring at her, she swung open, allowing the two inside. Shrinking the case to fit through the doorframe, they followed it inside, eyeing the ceiling of their common room which seemed to be enchanted like that of the Great Hall. The stars glistened above them while the moon shone brightly, illuminating the whole room. A huge window streamed from the top of the room to the bottom, providing a beautiful view to those who sat on the couch. Two fireplaces were set into the brick walls on either side of the couch, blazing fiercely while providing the much needed heat. Two doors remained behind the couch, situated next to the two loveseats that were positioned next to the couch. The color theme was a brilliantly mixed scheme of the Slytherin silver and the Gryffindor gold. The two colors were blended everywhere – from the gold and silver curtains to the silver lining of the gold couch.

Hermione let a breath that she didn't even know she was holding out, sighing at the beauty of their common room. Draco inhaled slightly at their breathtaking view overlooking the Quidditch pitch and the common grounds leading into the Forbidden Forest. They both instinctively settled on the couch, not bothering to unpack the package.

Deciding that they had relaxed enough, Hermione got up and walked over to the package. The writing on the side of the parcel stated the directions.

_Place in the middle of the directed room._

_Walk a safe distance away, stand in the doorway of room if possible._

_Point your wand and cast the spell Engorgio to release the contents of the box. _

_This spell should unpack your furniture and place them where they are supposed to be. _

Hermione called over Draco and told him to help her levitate it into a room. The parcel had a huge writing on the side saying "Head Boy's Room". Hermione walked over to one of the doors and opened it wide. The room was bare and looked like it had been abandoned for ages. They levitated the package and left it in the center. Draco pointed his wand and murmured "Engorgio" causing the box to spring around sporadically before hesitating in the middle. The box burst open, releasing everything from the four poster queen-sized bed to the silver and green drapery.

Draco was amazed by the room while Hermione was astounded by the amount of magic. Draco smiled unconsciously and ran to the big bed, throwing himself onto the huge comforter. He wrapped himself around, squirming to swallow himself into the fluffy bedsheets. Hermione smiled at the scene, noticing how young he looked when he showed his happy side. She walked out of the room and headed back to couch, bewildered by the intense magic. She collapsed on the couch, too tired to call for the other box. Humming started to come out of her mouth, in the form of her favorite song, Edelweiss. Drifting off into her thoughts, her song grew louder and louder until all that one could here was her beckoning voice.

Draco was relaxing in his new bed when he heard the sound of her voice. Rolling out of the bed he followed the voice to the common room, watching Hermione sing while leaning in the doorway. He recognized the song – it was the lullaby that his mom had once sang to him. His eyes began tearing up when he remembered that his mom would never be able to sing him that song, for the alcohol that she had retreated to had clogged up her mind. He wanted to stop the song and his tears so her harshly called out, 'Shouldn't we get the other box?"

Hermione snapped up, sitting up straight on the comfy couch. She immediately stopped singing when she had heard his insensitive voice. She lazily lifted up her wand and called out, "Accio box." He walked over and sat next to her, sighing drowsily. She smiled at him and asked why he didn't like the song.

"It wasn't the song. It was the. . . key," he finished lamely.

"I know that's not it. So spill. Tell me the truth."

"I can't. It has nothing to do with you."

"How are we going to work together if you can't even trust me?"

"Fine," he angrily said, "my mother used to sing it to me."

"Wow, so the great Slytherin prince has actually listened to a Muggle song."

"Shut up. You know _nothing._"

Knowing that she had struck a sensitive chord, Hermione stopped teasing him and turned serious. "Why is it so important to you?"

"It's the only good memory of my childhood. Before she started . . "

"She started what?" Hermione prodded.

He turned cold once again, "Nothing. Go to sleep, bucktooth."

"Draco.." He turned around when she heard the pleading sound in her voice. "What happened?"

"Do you really want to know? It might do you better not to."

"Yes. I want to know. Please."

"My mother was.. forced into marriage. She always hated Lucius."

"And?"

"When he started .. hitting me. . she stepped in. So he hit her instead. She sent me away to the other part of the manor, so I wouldn't hear her screams. But one day I stayed. Her screams still stay with me. It hurt me so much to hear her scream. _For me_. She was the only one who had ever shown me love, but she soon started slipping away."

"She turned to alcohol to get away from the pain. She became hooked onto her drug, addicted and unable to get away. She never came back to me." His eyes became clouded with emotions. He stared continuously at the floor, refusing to make eye contact with Hermione.

"So now you know. Are you going to tell the whole school about my drunk mother?"

"I would never do that," she wrapped her arms slowly around Draco, allowing him to rest his head on her chest. She stroked his hair and began to sing the song.

_Small and white clean and bright  
You look happy to meet me  
Blossom of snow may you bloom and grow  
Bloom and grow forever_

He looked up at her and was draw into her eyes. Leaning closer to her face, he softly pressed his lips against hers. He felt electricity run through his body, leaving him feeling full of energy and passion. He leaned forward for another kiss when she pulled away, stunned that he had kissed her of all people. Hermione stood up quickly and walked out of the dorm, heading to the hallway. She ignored the angry ranting of the portrait for all the she could feel was the tingling on her lips. She headed far away from the Head Room and back to her dorm in the Gryffindor Tower.

------

The next day, Hermione woke up feeling confused and drowsy. She couldn't remember walking back to bed or even falling asleep. The kiss was still on her lips and on her mind. She climbed out of bed and dressed in her usual garb. Heading down to the common room, she saw Harry and Ron talking intently on one of the couches. Pulling her robes tighter around her, she walked towards them, interrupting their conversation.

"You wouldn't happen to be talking about me, now would you boys?"

Harry and Ron turned around and acknowledged their friend, nodding towards one of the chairs so that she could join their conversation. Harry awkwardly said Good Morning but his expression remained quite serious. Noting their expressions, Hermione asked what was wrong.

"Well Harry here has decided to run off to look for Horcruxes. Without us," Ron motioned towards Harry, obviously angry with his decision.

Hermione looked at Harry and grabbed his hands. Running her thumbs over his calloused hands, she asked, "Harry? Have you thought this through? Are you sure that you don't want us there with you?"

Harry looked away, eyes far off into the distance. "I know that I have to do this. I can't take you with me; I have to do this by myself. You're in enough danger being close to me but coming with me? I can't risk your lives; you mean too much to me. I can't imagine how I could live without you guys."

"But how would we live without _you_ Harry?" Ron asked earnestly, hoping that he could sway his decision.

"I have to do this. I . I . I can't live knowing that I was the reason that you died." The words escaped from his lips, leaving a chilling sensation in the air. Hermione walked over to the couch and wrapped her arms around Harry while Ron awkwardly patted him on the back.

"We understand," Hermione started, shooting Ron a warning glance, "we made the choice to become your friend. We knew that becoming friends with the great Harry Potter would lead us to many dangers but we've never backed out of that friendship and we're not going to do that now."

"You're our friend Harry and nothing will change that. Just promise you'll take someone else with you and that you'll be back in two weeks. If I don't see you in two weeks you better be sure we're going after you."

Harry looked up and smiled wearily. "Thank you for understanding. Dumbledore knows where I'm going so if something comes up go to him. I.. I have something else to tell you."

"Well, spit it out. We're not going anywhere soon."

"Ron, honestly, let him speak."

Harry let out a morose laugh but quickly returned to his quiet demeanor. "I think. . I think that I'm one of the horcruxes."

"But that's not possible! Horcruxes are meant to be made of objects not living things!"

"Once again Hermione you are wrong. It is quite possible that Nagini, His snake, is also a horcrux."

Hermione stared at him in silence. He nodded and continued with his explanation.

"Those nights he fused himself with me. He used my blood to become reborn and then marked me with this horrid scar that is a sign of the Horcrux." Harry pushed his hair back to stress his point.

"But, Harry, mate, you can't possibly believe that?" Ron's eyes were pleading as he refused to believe the words pouring out of his best mate's mouth.

"Don't you remember Ron? '_Neither can live while the other survives.' _He put a part of his life in me. If I live, he'll survive. He needs me in order to survive but neither of us can truly live for a part of ourselves will always belong to the other."

"By killing me, he will only destroy himself but the only way to kill him is to kill myself."

Harry turned around and started up the stairs. "I'll see you in two weeks." He walked up to his dorm and came down a few minutes later, carrying his broom and a bag of clothes. "I'm heading over to Dumbledore's office so I can use the Floo. Do you guys wanna come?"

"Of course! Lemme just grab my wand." As Ron dashed upstairs, Hermione and Harry waited in silence. Walking over to the office, they wished Harry good luck and discussed what he was hoping to do. They arrived at Dumbledore's office and Harry gravely turned to them.

"No matter what happens, I'll always be with you guys. Trust me." Hermione's eyes began to tear up at Harry's somber words. She wrapped Harry in a bear hug, unwilling to let go. When she opened her eyes, she saw Draco staring at her down the hall. Seeing his hurt eyes, she reluctantly let Harry go. When she looked down the hall again, the blond Slytherin was gone.

Harry said his goodbye to Ron and then entered the office. With one last glance he walked up the stairs, heading to his fate.

------

Harry approached Dumbledore at his desk.

"I'm ready."

Dumbledore looked Harry in the eye, all twinkling long gone. "Are you sure about this, Mr. Potter?"

"Quite sure, sir. I'll be with Remus and if anything goes wrong Hedwig will come to you, Hermione, or Ron."

"Then good luck to you."

"Thank you, sir." With that, Harry grabbed a fistful of Floo Powder and walked into the flames shouting, "Number 12, Grimmauld Place."

* * *

A/N: Another chapter done! I might need to change my PenName soon but if that happens the name of the story will stay the same so you guys will still be able to read it. Sorry for the inconvenience. 

I tried to make this chapter longer and I succeeded … by a page! I'm still gonna try to increase the length so don't worry.

Expect an update in a week or two.

And always, review (pretty please with a cherry on top?)!


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